FC St. Pauli

Sandwiched between the 3-1 friendly win at Norwich City and the first-round DFB Cup tie at Halle next Friday, the Boys in Brown took on Atalanta Bergamo in the Bundesliga dress rehearsal. Head coach Alexander Blessin fielded an unchanged side, with Johannes Eggestein starting up front alongside Morgan Guilavogui, who with midfielder Robert Wagner was making his Millerntor debut. Connor Metcalfe and Jackson Irvine completed the midfield three. At the back, Philipp Treu, Karol Mets, Eric Smith and Hauke Wahl began alongside Fin Stevens, the third player making his first appearance at the Millerntor. Mainstay Nikola Vasilj started between the posts.

The Europa League winners made a bright start and had the upper hand in the opening half-hour. Adama Lookman was a constant threat in the box and Nikola Vasilj and Hauke Wahl had to be on their toes to keep him out. Robert Wagner registered the first attempt on goal in the 12^th minute, but his shot from around 20 metres posed little problem for Juan Agustin Musso. Vasilj was then called into action again, saving brilliantly from El Bilal Toure and Mario Pasalic. After 31 minutes, Morgan Guilavogui had the biggest chance of the game for the Boys in Brown to that point, but the Frenchman's shot cleared the crossbar. With both sides shutting up shop from then on, the first half ended goalless.

Alexander Blessin made one change at the interval, introducing Carlo Boukhalfa for Connor Metcalfe, while Hien and Retegui replaced Pasalic and Toure for the visitors. This time it was the Boys in Brown who made the better start. In the 56^th minute, captain Jackson Irvine headed a Johannes Eggestein cross just over. Buoyed by the home support, the Blessin XI strengthened their grip on the game and they took the lead on 58 when Eric Smith dispatched a free-kick into the box from the right. Robert Wagner narrowly failed to connect, but Johannes Eggestein escaped the attentions of the Atalanta defence to nod home at the back stick.

Soon after the opening goal, Oladapo Afolayan, Scott Banks and Adam Dźwigała replaced Morgan Guilavogui, Fin Stevens and Hauke Wahl, and just five minutes after coming on Afolayan pounced on a wayward backpass by Hien to take the ball round the keeper and tap into an empty net. Afolayan then turned provider a couple of minutes later, cutting the ball back for Boukhalfa to make it 3-0.

At the other end, Vasilj produced more impressive saves, and Philipp Treu did incredibly well to defuse Atalanta's best chance of the game. That was that, and the Boys in Brown saw the game out to complete a 3-0 win in front of 26,302 spectators and end pre-season on a high.

FC St. Pauli

First half: Vasilj – Treu (Ritzka 78') - Mets – Smith (73' Nemeth) – Wahl (Dźwigała 63') – Stevens (Banks 63') – Irvine (Sinani 73') – Metcalfe (Boukhalfa 46') – Wagner (Saad 73') – Guilavogui (Afolayan 63') – Eggestein (Albers 73')

Head coach: Alexander Blessin

Atalanata Bergamo

Musso (Carnesecchi 72') - Pasalic (Kakari 72') – Toure (Retegui 46') - Lookman - Éderson (Bakker 72') - De Roon - De Ketelaere (Toloi 72') - Djimsiti (Hien 46') - Ruggeri - Kolasinac - Zappacosta (Gottfrey 72')

Head coach: Gian Piero Gasperini

Goals: 1-0 Eggestein (58'), 2-0 Afolayan (68'), 3-0 Boukhalfa (70')

Referee: Harm Osmers

Attendance: 26,302

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witter

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